Modern inventory-control, billing, distribution, and other types of similar systems identify an item of merchandise by means of a machine-readable label affixed to the item. Such a label might show a combination of one or more bar codes, QR (Quick Response) codes, alphanumeric strings, graphics, or other identifiers that allows a reading device to identify information from which a characteristic of the labeled item may be retrieved or inferred.
Some items are so labeled upon manufacture or prior to being shipped to a distribution channel. Others, however, are not labeled or are labeled in a manner that does not facilitate identification by a machine-reading mechanism. In some cases, a sales, distribution, or other facility might use a machine-readable method, but that method may not be fully compatible with a particular type of labeling mechanism used on a particular item.
There is thus a need for a way to automatically identify, classify, and label items that are either unlabeled or labeled in a manner that is incompatible with a particular labeling format, medium, or identification mechanism.